Taking A New Host
by The Create Card
Summary: Yugi can't forget how Yami nearly took control and almost killed Seto Kaiba. Feeling Yami's too dangerous to have around, he takes apart the Millennium Puzzle. But what happens when the puzzle ends up getting solved...by TK?! (Yu-Gi-Oh/Digimon X-over)
1. A Trade Gone Wrong

Author's Note: I love it when an idea comes together and this is something that'll hopefully come out as good as it sounds! Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

  


Summary: After coming back from the Duelist Kingdom, it's safe to say that Yugi Moto is having an internal struggle between himself and his alter ego, Yami. It doesn't help that the Millennium Puzzle's about to fall into someone else's hands. And while everyone will WANT for everything to go back to normal…ultimately, what Yami says, goes.

  


Key:

_/ … /_ - Yugi

_// … //_ - Yami

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 1**

  


Two months had passed since returning from the Duelist Kingdom. By all means, everything should have been going well for fourteen-year-old Yugi Moto. He had successfully defeated Maximillion Pegasus, rescued his grandfather from his clutches, and thwarted any and all challenges that came his way during that span.

After that grueling ordeal, Yugi had the chance to relax. Well…he'd have the chance to relax after a day in Odaiba, where he had to run an errand for his grandpa. He should have been happy. He was off to a city he had never seen along with his closest friends: Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, and Téa Gardner. But lately something had been bothering him.

Yugi was just a human being…yet far from normal. He had a second side to him and it all stemmed from the Millennium Puzzle that hung over his neck. The day he uncovered that puzzle's secret was the day his life changed forever. That's when he was inhabited with an ancient spirit known as Yami. Despite using Yugi's body, Yami was like a whole different person. He exuded confidence and courage and was a master duelist.

In his lifetime, Yami was a Pharaoh of ancient Egypt. That was just about the only piece of his past that Yugi knew. For the most part, Yugi and Yami were kindred. Yami gave Yugi something he had never had and that was confidence in himself and faith in his cards and his friends. And Yugi felt he gave Yami something he had never had and that was compassion.

Lately, however, all has not been well between Yugi and Yami. Even though they had gotten along for the most part and had worked together to defeat Pegasus, there was still some tension. And it all stemmed from, for lack of a better phrase, creative differences.

Yugi had nearly lost his chance to save his grandpa from Pegasus. In a second duel with Seto Kaiba, Kaiba had positioned himself right at the edge of a cliff. Had Yugi followed through with his final attack, surely Kaiba would have fallen to his doom. Yugi wanted to surrender, but Yami would hear none of it. Yami nearly overcame Yugi's compassion and chose to attack, not caring whether Kaiba fell to his death. Had Yugi not been able to control his own body at the very last second, Kaiba would have been killed.

That's just one of the differences between Yugi and Yami. But there has been much tension. Yugi felt that Yami was getting out of control and Yami felt like he was being held back by Yugi. Yugi was literally having an internal struggle and he was carrying that struggle with him to Odaiba.

It was a good thing that the bus ride to Odaiba didn't go awry. It would have looked very odd if Yami chose to come out during the trip and it appeared that his friends felt the same way. Joey and Tristan were sitting a few seats away, claiming they wanted to give Yugi his space. Téa, however, sat next to Yugi…even though it looked like it was out of pity, more than anything.

With everyone staying quiet during the bus trip, Yugi started to hear from his inner Yami.

_// Yugi, you haven't let me come out in days. I'd like to say hello. //_

One of the things about Yugi and Yami was that they could have these internal conversations in Yugi's mind, one soul to another, without anybody hearing them. It was the most common way that Yugi and Yami kept in touch with each other. In the dark void of his mind, Yugi stood in front of Yami, who didn't look happy.

_/ I don't want you to come out! I don't know what to do with you anymore! I'm not letting you come out, Yami! /_

Yami shook his head. _// I will not come out if that is what you want. But I hope you'll at least give me a reason why. //_

_/ I feel like you're getting out of control. Every time you come out now, I feel like I can't control you anymore! /_

Yami looked curious. _// What do you mean? Is this about Kaiba again? //_

/ It's more than just Kaiba! I didn't want you to attack him and you just brushed me aside! You didn't even care! /

// I was doing it for you, Yugi! I did it to save your grandfather! //

/ I don't believe that! You did it just so you could win another duel! Just so you wouldn't lose! /

That got Yami's ire. _// You think I'm lying to you?! //_

/ Yeah, I do! I think the truth is, you were afraid to lose! /

// I'm NOT afraid to lose! If I am defeated in a fair manner, so be it! But that's not possible! I'm the… //

/ Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're the King of Games. I've heard it a million times! /

Yami scowled. _// I'm getting tired of this, Yugi! It's almost been a year since you first uncovered the secret of the Millennium Puzzle! And we made a great team in the time we've been together! But this is ridiculous! I feel like you're not giving me the opportunity to express myself! //_

/ I think lately you've shown that you aren't responsible enough to come out. /

That struck a nerve in Yami. _// RESPONSIBLE?! You and I may be sharing this body, but you're just a BOY! Don't you DARE preach to me about responsibility!! //_

Yugi didn't want to back down. Not this time. _/ I may be a boy, but I'm the one who solved the Millennium Puzzle and released you! This is MY body and if I don't feel like letting you come out, then you should respect that! /_

Yami kept his scowl. _// I see that some of my personality is rubbing off on you, Yugi. You never would have been capable of standing up to me when we first met. You're really growing up. But I maintain my objection! This is not fair! //_

Before Yami could protest any further, Yugi began to hear one of his friends.

"Yugi?"

It was Téa. Yugi decided to put an end to this argument.

_/ I think this is our stop. I'll talk to you later. /_

// Yugi! Don't you dare leave! I'm talking to you, Yugi! YUGI! //

Yugi just ignored his inner Yami. He ended his conversation in his mind and shook off the cobwebs.

"Sorry about that," Yugi muttered.

"You were arguing with Yami again, weren't you?" Téa guessed.

"He still wants to come out," Yugi answered. "He's been wanting to come out more and more. But I can't let him."

"I think you're being really hard on him, Yugi," Téa said. "I agree that what he tried to do to Kaiba wasn't right, but that's in the past. We could never have saved your grandpa without him. Like it or not, we owe Yami. Maybe you should let him come out."

"I can't take that chance, Téa," Yugi sighed. "I almost lost control of him. What if he goes over the edge again? I don't want to risk it."

"It isn't fair to keep Yami confined forever," Téa growled. "I think he deserves to at least say hello to his friends."

"You call him a friend?"

"Maybe I do! Maybe he's a little hardheaded and occasionally overly harsh, but he's growing just like the rest of us! I don't think he's a bad person. I think he's a friend whom we owe our gratitude."

The bus came to a stop. This was their stop and Joey and Tristan were eager to get off the bus.

"It's about time," Tristan said. "I had no leg room on this bus."

"Yeah, give me a chance to stretch my legs!" Joey added.

Téa got up and gave Yugi a stern look. "We'll talk about this later."

Yugi couldn't understand why Téa was standing up for Yami. She saw firsthand what Yami almost did. She had even tried to step in and stop him. So why did she feel that he deserved a second chance?

Yugi thought about that as he stepped off the bus. He came to Odaiba because he needed to pick up an artifact for his grandpa. Hopefully, this would be quick…and hopefully he could do it without hearing so much as a peep from Yami.

* * *

As night was falling, twelve-year-old TK Takaishi had a delivery to make. Two weeks ago, his father was given an artifact that he had no use for. So he did the logical thing and sold it away. But since Matt was out practicing with his band the whole night, his dad went across town to ask TK to make the delivery to the buyer while he went to work at the television station.

Now TK was walking down the street until he hit the corner. He looked at the address that was written on a sheet of paper and saw that he had already arrived. He had found the Odaiba Motel.

Taking the bag with the artifact, TK ran through the parking lot and towards the rooms. He wanted to get this over with since he was hoping to call Kari by night's end. He still couldn't get over the fact that Kari was now his girlfriend. He was beginning to think that she would end up with Davis Motomiya, but he was shocked when Kari called him on that fateful night and asked him to be her boyfriend. Since that day, TK and Kari were practically inseparable and not only had Davis conceded, but he was also more than willing to help in any way he could.

Wanting to call Kari again, TK ran even faster. All he had to do was drop this bag off and collect the payment.

* * *

The motel room wasn't exactly five-star quality. In fact, the word 'roach motel' would be more apropos in describing it. But Yugi wasn't distracted by the dust or the bugs. He had something else in mind. While Joey, Tristan, and Téa looked through their motel room, Yugi was in the bathroom, looking in the mirror at the Millennium Puzzle that hung around his neck. And once again, he found himself having an internal dialogue with Yami.

_// Yugi…please let me come out. I understand your anxieties, but don't confine me this way! //_

Yugi didn't say anything. This was one of the hardest things he ever had to do. And it didn't get any easier after Téa's speech. But after everything that happened towards the end of the Duelist Kingdom, Yugi felt that this was the right thing to do. He put his hand on his Millennium Puzzle necklace.

_// Yugi? What are you doing? //_

Yugi sighed. _/ I'm sorry, Yami. I have to do this. /_

Yugi removed his Millennium Puzzle necklace and put it on top of the toilet seat. Yami suddenly knew what he was about to do and grew panicked.

_// Yugi, you can't be serious! You aren't about to do what I think you are! //_

/ I have to! I can't risk you getting out of control again! /

// Yugi, don't do this! After everything we've been through, you can't just end it this way! Please, STOP! //

Yugi just sighed deeply. _/ Goodbye, Yami. /_

Without giving it any further thought, Yugi began to take apart the Millennium Puzzle that brought Yami to him in the first place. As Yugi removed each piece of the puzzle, he began to hear Yami's voice go fainter and he felt his presence fade away. Despite Yami's pleading, Yugi kept taking the puzzle apart, piece by piece.

But there was a strange feeling. As Yugi took apart the Millennium Puzzle, it felt as if he was taking apart a part of himself. He tried to shrug it off, but couldn't deny that Yami had become a big part of himself. It wasn't easy, but he kept going…until the final piece was taken apart.

Yugi stood motionless for a moment. The other voice was gone. He felt a huge void, because Yami was no longer there. He had done it. Yugi's Yami was gone. Facing up to that fact, Yugi picked up the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle, dumped them in a black bag, and walked out of the bathroom.

Joey and Tristan were both fighting over who'd get to sleep on the couch, since Téa wanted the bed to herself, and looked like they were getting ready to arm wrestle for it. Téa was getting the payment ready for when the guy delivered the artifact Yugi's grandpa had ordered. Yugi's grandpa had provided a bag of gold coins for payment.

Téa immediately noticed that Yugi was missing something. "Yugi? Where's the Millennium Puzzle?"

Yugi hung his head down. When Téa found out, she would undoubtedly blow a gasket. It was as if she was one of Yami's biggest supporters.

But Yugi decided to come clean. "I…took it apart. I got rid of Yami for good."

Téa gasped. "You did WHAT?!"

"I got rid of Yami. He won't be around anymore."

"Yugi, how could you?!"

"Téa, it was the right thing to do."

"No, it wasn't! You……"

Téa was about to go off on a whole lecture, but she couldn't seem to put her words together…not with Joey and Tristan still arguing over who got the couch.

"Let's take this to the bathroom," Téa muttered.

Téa dragged Yugi into the bathroom. Yugi could sense that Téa was about to stick up for Yami again. He wished he knew why. There had to be a reason why she supported him so much.

Yugi had done the right thing…hadn't he?

* * *

Joey got ready to arm wrestle Tristan before he noticed Téa dragging Yugi into the bathroom out of the corner of his eye.

"No hanky panky," Joey grinned.

"Did you notice something different about Yugi right now?" Tristan asked. "I didn't get a look at him."

"I didn't get a good look at him, either," Joey replied. "He probably did something different with his hair. It's kinda hard to look at Yugi while I'm trying to get your stubborn butt off this couch."

"I'm not sleeping on the floor!"

"Then we'll arm wrestle for the couch!"

Joey and Tristan were about to walk over to the table until someone knocked on the door. Joey shot his friend a look before heading to answer the door. He answered the door and saw a young kid with blond-hair and a white hat holding up an old Anubis statue.

"Hi, my name's TK. Someone bought this old artifact?"

"Yeah, that's ours," Joey answered. "Uh…let me get you what we owe you. Hey Tristan, where'd Téa put the bag with the coins?"

Tristan looked around until he found a black bag on the bed. "Here it is! Catch, Joey!"

Tristan tossed the bag to Joey, which he skillfully caught with one hand.

"Here you go, kid. Don't spend it all in one place."

"Thanks!"

Joey shut the door once the guy left and focused on Tristan again. "Now, where were we?"

Tristan put his arm on the table. "I was about to beat you for my couch."

Joey smirked. He was more than confident that he would get to sleep on the couch tonight.

* * *

Yugi had heard just about every case Téa had to make and she was just getting started once he told her what happened. What kept hurting was the fact that what most of what she was saying was very true. Unable to endure it any longer, Yugi walked out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom. Of course, Téa was right on his heels.

"And you never would have gotten your grandpa back if it wasn't for him!" Téa continued. "That's some gratitude, Yugi!"

"Something up?" Joey grunted. He was in the middle of an arm wrestling match with Tristan.

"Yugi took the Millennium Puzzle apart!" Téa cried. "He got rid of Yami!"

Tristan, with his hand still locked on Joey's, looked over at Yugi. "Hey, that's what's different about you!"

"You really got rid of Yami?!" Joey exclaimed. "What'd you do that for, Yuge?"

"You're sticking up for him, too?" Yugi asked.

"You're holding one incident against him," Joey answered as he kept arm wrestling. "So he wanted to off Kaiba. Who wouldn't? The guy's a creep. I know if I was in his place, I'd have done the same thing."

"We could have never come out on top in the Duelist Kingdom without him," Tristan added. "You've got to admit that much, Yugi."

"You're all on his side!" Yugi said in disbelief. "Hasn't anybody noticed that it's getting harder for me to control him?"

"You're talking like he's one of those spirits from The Exorcist," Joey scoffed. "Yami ain't that kind of guy. He's a little rough around the edges, but he knows what's right. I think you went too far trying to off him like that."

"It's not fair, Yugi!" Téa cried. "Yami deserves another chance!"

Yugi seemed to be outnumbered three-to-one. He knew what had to be done.

"Ok…I'll give him one more chance."

Yugi walked over to the bed to look for the black bag where he kept the pieces to the Millennium Puzzle. But much to his dismay…the bag was gone!

Yugi gasped. "The bag! Where is it?"

"Oh, that?" Joey asked calmly as he was nearly pinning down Tristan's arm. "We gave it to the guy who just delivered that statue your grandpa wanted."

"Y-Y-You gave him THAT bag?!" Yugi demanded.

"Yeah, the one with the coins in it, right?" Tristan asked as he struggled to regain control.

Téa walked over to the table and picked up a bag that made a jingling sound as she held it up. "You mean THIS bag?!"

Tristan stopped in his tracks. "Huh?"

Joey pinned his arm down. "I win!" Then he saw Téa holding up the bag and sweatdropped. "Uh…I'm guessing…THAT'S the bag full of coins?"

"Then what did we give that guy?" Tristan asked nervously.

"You gave him the Millennium Puzzle!!" Yugi shouted.

Joey and Tristan both sweatdropped. They had made a huge blunder and didn't know what else to do. So, of course, they pointed at each other.

"He did it!" they both yelled.

Yugi was in shock. The reality had just set in that now he had REALLY lost Yami. The Millennium Puzzle was now in someone else's hands. Téa was in a state of disbelief and Joey and Tristan continued playing the blame game. But Yugi knew what had to be done next.

"We have to get it back!"

  


Next Time: Finding the Millennium Puzzle may SOUND easy, but Yugi and his friends had never been to Odaiba before, so this could take them a while. Meanwhile, TK's unaware that he holds the Millennium Puzzle. At least until he gets home. What happens when he unwittingly solves it himself?!

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	2. What Are The Odds?

Last Time: Yugi and his friends went to Odaiba to collect an artifact for Yugi's grandfather. Yugi was having an internal struggle with Yami and finally decided that keeping him around was a huge risk. Once they got to the motel, Yugi went into the bathroom and took apart the Millennium Puzzle. Later, TK arrived to deliver the artifact, but Joey and Tristan handed him the wrong bag. They gave him the bag containing the pieces to the Millennium Puzzle! Now Yugi must get it back!

  


Key:

_// … //_ - Yami

_/// … ///_ - TK

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 2**

  


TK walked through the door of his apartment and noticed the lights were out. He stepped cautiously in the dark towards the kitchen until he found a note on the counter. It was from him mom.

TK took the note and read it. "TK, I have a headache so I went to bed early. There's a frozen TV dinner in the freezer." TK shook his head. "Always a TV dinner. They look so much better on TV."

Not feeling hungry, TK walked over to the couch and sat down. He decided to look over just how much his father got for selling this artifact. He turned the black bag upside-down, but got a surprise. All he got was a clutter of junk.

TK couldn't believe it. "Oh great! I should have checked the bag first! Dad's gonna kill me!"

TK gathered the junk and grouped it together. He didn't even know what it was. It all looked like a broken artifact. That's when TK got an idea. Maybe he could put the artifact together and give that to his dad. Or maybe he could sell it himself to someone else for the same price.

Suddenly, TK had come up with the perfect excuse to call up Kari. He reached over for the phone and dialed that number.

_"Hello?"_

"Kari? It's me! You busy right now?"

_"Not really. Just cleaning up my room. What's up?"_

"I was wondering if you could give me a hand with something…"

* * *

Fifteen minutes had passed and TK couldn't understand how this broken artifact was supposed to go together. He was completely stumped. And then, much to his relief, someone knocked on the door. TK eagerly answered it.

"Come on in, Kari."

Twelve-year-old Kari Kamiya shivered and held her pink coat tight as she stepped inside. "I'm lucky my parents let me come over this late. What's this thing you need me to help you with?"

"I was hoping you could give me a hand with this," TK grinned as he brought Kari over to the artifact. "The guys I delivered my dad's artifact to gave me this thing as payment. I figured I could put it back together and sell it to someone else."

"What's it supposed to be?" Kari asked curiously.

"Let's put it together and find out," TK suggested. "Got any glue?"

"I didn't exactly think I was coming over for a crafts project," Kari answered.

TK suddenly put two of the pieces together. "Hey, they just snap together. It's some kind of puzzle."

Kari eyed some of the pieces. "Try these two."

TK put two more of the pieces together. Sure enough, they snapped together. TK was often the creative type, though not as much as some of his other friends. Maybe he could prove something to them by putting this thing together.

So he kept on going.

* * *

"Yugi! You can't go NOW!"

Téa's pleas fell on deaf ears as Yugi continued looking for his coat. He knew that the Millennium Puzzle was out there somewhere and he had to find it. Yugi didn't want to think of what could happen if it fell into the wrong hands.

"I have to find it, Téa! It could be anywhere right now! I can't just leave it out there!"

"But it's late, Yugi!" Téa argued. "You can't go out there at this hour. We don't know our way around this city. We could get lost!"

"What's the big deal?" Tristan asked, lying on his sleeping bag on the floor. "We have the number of the guy who sold us that artifact, right?"

"Hey, that's right!" Téa said cheerfully. "We could call him and ask him if he has the Millennium Puzzle. We can do it first thing in the morning."

Yugi frowned. "I just don't know if it's a good idea to wait that long."

Joey just waved his arm nonchalantly from the couch. "What are you so worried about, Yugi? We'll get the Millennium Puzzle back tomorrow. What's the worst that could happen between now and then? It's not like anybody's actually gonna solve that thing, right?"

Yugi actually smiled. Joey made a good point. Yugi, himself, was lucky to put the Millennium Puzzle together and uncover its secret. Yugi's grandfather had given it to him because so many others couldn't solve it. What are the odds that someone else solves it? It wasn't possible.

* * *

Piece-by-piece, the puzzle kept coming together. Poor Kari was tuckered out and had fallen asleep with her head on the table. TK would have to call Tai and ask him to come get her later.

But in the meantime, he stayed focused on getting this puzzle solved. And he had fared very well so far. From what he could see, it was in the shape of a pyramid. But there seemed to be one thing missing. TK noticed he had one more piece in his hand. It was the eye. He tried to figure out where the last piece went. Then he put it at the very front of the pyramid.

Sure enough, the piece fit together. It was done. TK had solved the puzzle. But when he did…something happened.

A bright light emitted from the puzzle. Feeling curious, TK put the string attached to the puzzle over his neck and wore it as a necklace. But when he did that, the light surrounded him.

And that's when he felt something inside him.

* * *

The bright light immediately woke Kari. She raised her head and opened her eyes just in time to see a bright light coming from the puzzle…which had been solved. And then she turned her head and gasped when she saw the light surrounding TK…which quickly faded. TK fell over and Kari rushed to his side.

"TK! Are you ok?!"

TK opened his eyes and smiled. "I…feel fine. A little weird…but fine."

"What WAS that?" Kari asked.

TK got up and looked at the puzzle. "I have no idea. It must be some secret of the artifact or something. No ordinary puzzle could do that."

Kari looked at her watch and gasped. "It's almost midnight! My parents are gonna kill me!" She reached over and kissed TK. "Good night!"

"Kari, wait!"

Kari didn't listen. She ran out the door in a hurry before TK could stop her. TK would have called Tai or someone to take her home, but apparently she would have none of it. Then he thought about what sent Kari running home. It WAS midnight! It explained why he was so tired. So he headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

He walked over to the sink to brush his teeth, but he suddenly heard a voice in his head.

_// W-W-What's going on? //_

A deep voice came from within TK's mind. His eyes widened as he looked in the mirror and saw almost two sides of him. He closed his eyes, but that only made things worse. When he closed his eyes, he found himself face-to-face with…another version of himself. When he saw that, he abruptly opened his eyes again and just shook his head furiously.

"I've got to lay off those TV dinners. I'm seeing things."

Shrugging everything off, TK groggily went to bed.

* * *

The next morning, Yugi didn't waste any time in reaching for the phone. He dialed the number as quickly as he could.

"Hello? With whom am I speaking?"

_"Uh…this is Matt Ishida. May I ask who's calling?"_

"My name is Yugi Moto. My grandpa bought that Anubis statue."

_"Oh, you probably mean the one my dad sold you. My little brother was supposed to deliver it to you. Did you get it?"_

"Well…we did get it, but…there's a problem. You see, one of my friends accidentally gave him the wrong payment. He was supposed to get a bag of gold coins and instead he got…something VERY important to me. Is your brother there?"

_"Actually, he's not. My brother lives across town and, to be honest, I haven't even seen him in a while."_

"I really need to get this cleared up. What he got was VERY important! I really need it back! I'll give him what I owe and I'll even give a little more as long as I get that bag back!"

There was a hesitation on the other line. _"It's that important, huh? I'll tell you what, I'll give him a call and you can go pick it up at his apartment. I'll give you the directions."_

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like getting the Millennium Puzzle back would be easier than he thought. As long as he got it back quickly, everything would be just fine.

As funny as it sounded to him…Yugi was starting to miss Yami.

* * *

When morning came, TK was feeling weirder than he ever had before. He sat up and stayed in his bed for a while before finally deciding to get up. In a zombie-like state, he walked over to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked perfectly normal. But before long, he started to hear that voice in his head again.

_// Who are you? //_

TK shrugged it off. "Who am I? What kind of question is that?"

"TK?"

TK turned his head to see someone else wander into the bathroom. It was his Digimon partner, Patamon, who had a worried look on his face.

"Are you ok?" he asked. "You were tossing and turning the whole night."

TK looked in the mirror again. "I'm…fine."

_// Who ARE you?! //_

TK widened his eyes and closed them. He felt like he was going nuts. But again, closing his eyes didn't help any. Because that's when he saw himself staring right at him. Except there was something…different about him. He looked…suave and confident.

TK quickly opened his eyes again. But he couldn't stop hearing that voice in his head.

_// You can't ignore me. Why don't you just answer me? Who are you? //_

That's when TK made a discovery. He closed his eyes and stared at the near-mirror image of himself. And he started to talk to this voice through his own thoughts.

_/// Who am *I*? M-My name's TK Takaishi. ///_

The other him thought about that. _// TK Takaishi? You're…somebody else. //_

/// Well, yeah. Who did you think I was? And who are you, anyway? ///

A smirk came across the other guy's face. _// You're…somebody else! //_

/// I'm glad we got that cleared up. Are you going to tell me who you are? ///

// My apologies. I should inform you of what's happened. Did you solve the Millennium Puzzle? //

/// You mean that pyramid? Yeah, I solved it last night. What does that have to do with anything? ///

// It has to do with everything. You went ahead and solved the Millennium Puzzle and released me. This means you and I are now one and the same. //

/// Oh, I get it! This must be a dream. I eat one of those expired TV dinners and I start hallucinating. ///

// This is no dream! Allow me to introduce myself. I am an ancient spirit, but you can call me Yami. //

"TK!" a familiar voice cried out.

TK started shaking his head furiously. _/// I'd better go. I really should snap out of it. ///_

// TK, don't leave yet! There are things you should know about me! //

/// Can we talk about it later? I really should get back to reality. ///

With that, TK opened his eyes and found himself looking in the mirror again. Then he turned his head to the one calling him.

"I'm ok, Patamon. Don't worry about me."

"It doesn't look like you're ok. That's why I called Kari."

TK's eyes widened. "You called Kari?!" Then he thought about that. "Since when could you use a phone?"

"Hey, it's not rocket science," Patamon pointed out. "I just pick up the hook and punch in some numbers. I've seen you do it a million times."

"Is she on her way?"

"Well…she should be here right about…"

Of course, someone knocked at the front door.

"…now."

TK walked out of the bathroom and groggily headed to the front door. He opened the door and saw Kari with a concerned look on her face.

"Patamon called me."

"Did it amaze you, too?" TK grinned.

"As a matter of fact…it did. But that's not why I'm here. TK, is something wrong?"

TK turned away from Kari and thought about what he was feeling inside him. "I don't know. I feel like someone else is inside my body. And it has something to do with this thing around my neck."

Kari reached around TK and touched the finished puzzle with her fingertips. "It's just a pyramid."

"I know, but…it's like there's something living there."

"Uh…hello?"

TK turned around and realized that his head was obviously in another time zone, because he had left his door wide open. And standing there were the two guys that had given him the puzzle, along with a girl with shoulder-length brown hair, white blouse, and green skirt. And the guy who called out was a timid young man, about their age, with a blue jacket and pants and a bizarre hairstyle. He had red hair that split off in three ways and the ends were blond.

"Can I help you?" TK asked.

"Yeah, my name is Yugi Moto. Your dad sold that Anubis statue to my grandpa and you delivered it last night? I'm really sorry, but my two friends here gave you the wrong…bag…"

He froze as soon as he realized what TK was wearing around his neck. His three friends were also stunned. TK was just confused. He wanted to know what was going on.

"Y-You solved the Millennium Puzzle?!" Yugi exclaimed.

TK blinked. "The what?"

Before he could say anything else, though, the puzzle began to react…and TK started to feel something emerge inside him.

* * *

Yugi couldn't believe it. The odds were astronomical, but this kid, who couldn't have been any more than a few years younger than him, had actually solved the Millennium Puzzle. And when he saw that familiar light come out of the puzzle, he knew what was happening.

The girl standing by TK took a step back, not knowing what to expect. Joey and Tristan were obviously nervous, knowing their blunder had caused this to happen. Téa just looked on in amazement. So did Yugi, because when the light was gone, TK had undergone a change. The yellow shirt, green vest, and brown shorts remained. But the difference was that now his eyes were filled with confidence…and he was striking a familiar pose.

The girl he was with just looked up with a worried look on her face. "TK?"

Yugi was in awe. "Yami?"

  


Next Time: Yugi meets…Yami TK! Yugi wants Yami to come back, but is Yami willing to let bygones be bygones? Not likely! Come see what happens next time!

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	3. Meet Yami TK

Last Time: The impossible happened, as TK sat down and actually solved the Millennium Puzzle. The results were as expected; Yami and TK now shared one body. After getting the misunderstanding cleared up, Yugi and his friends headed over to TK's apartment to get the Millennium Puzzle back. But when they got there…Yami decided to come out and say hello.

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 3**

  


Yugi was speechless. He was used to being face-to-face with Yami, but never like this. Every time he looked at Yami, it was with his body. Though their personalities were VERY different, they had always shared one body. That's the way of the Millennium Puzzle: one body, two spirits.

Yugi carefully took a step forward. "Yami?"

"I didn't expect to ever see you again, Yugi," Yami said. Sure enough, he still had his uniquely deep voice.

"But that's impossible!" Yugi cried. "It took me eight years to put the Millennium Puzzle together!"

"This one's very resourceful," Yami smirked. "You'd be surprised, Aibou. It was as if he had a guide on his side on that night."

The girl beside TK gasped. "TK?"

Téa stepped in. "Uh…maybe we should explain to that girl just what's happening. She probably thinks she just stepped into The Exorcist or something."

"We can do that after Yami comes back," Yugi replied.

"After I come back?" Yami scoffed. "Last time I saw you, Yugi, you tried to get rid of me for good!"

"I'm sorry, Yami," Yugi apologized. "I was being irrational. I was just thinking about that one time, while forgetting about all the other times you helped us. I guess I forgot just how big a help you were."

"You never would have made it through the Duelist Kingdom without me, Yugi!" Yami shouted. "I taught you how to believe in the heart of the cards!"

Yugi hung his head down. "I know."

"You never would have gotten your grandpa back without me."

"I know."

"And I thought we were friends," Yami said solemnly.

Yugi was feeling terrible now. "We ARE friends, Yami. I just…lost my head. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry. We can talk about it after I put the Millennium Puzzle back together again."

"That's not going to happen, Yugi," Yami muttered. "For that to happen, TK would have to take the Millennium Puzzle apart…and I won't allow it! Has it occurred to you that maybe I LIKE being in this body?"

"Yami, you can't mean that!" Téa gasped.

"You've been in there for less than a day," Joey pointed out. "You've known Yugi for a lot longer than that!"

"That's just it, Joey. I've gotten to know Yugi and, frankly, there's no nice way to say this. Yugi…you've been a bit of a pill lately. And now that someone else has solved the Millennium Puzzle, that gives me a chance to expand my horizons."

The other girl there timidly raised her hand. "Uh…Mr. Yami? Shouldn't you ask TK what HE thinks about that?"

"Uh…whatever-her-name-is is right," Joey said. "You and Yugi were always a team, but you're just a stranger to TK. Ask him what HE wants."

"You make a good point," Yami admitted. "Very well. I will consult with TK."

Yami closed his eyes. Yugi usually went through these sort of things himself whenever he wanted to talk to his Yami. But he wasn't a part of this now. All he could do was stand by and wonder just what TK and Yami were saying to one another.

* * *

TK felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. He was used to closing his eyes and seeing his own thoughts. But now he had his eyes closed and was facing someone else. He was facing someone who looked just like him, yet was so different.

_// I'm sorry to burden you like this, TK. //_

/// You'll understand if I'm a little weirded out by this whole thing. I'm not used to sharing a body with a stranger. ///

// I need to ask a favor of you. It'll be the last thing I ever ask of you. //

/// Do I have much choice? ///

// I'll take that as a 'yes'. TK, I need you to play along with me. I'd like to teach my young Aibou a lesson. //

/// What's an Aibou? ///

// It's a little pet name I have for Yugi. Anyway, I'd like to teach him a harsh lesson that'll hopefully leave him more appreciative in the future. In order to do that, I'll need you to play along with whatever I say and allow me some more time in your body before you take the Millennium Puzzle apart. One day at the most. I promise. It's all I ask. //

TK stayed silent and thought about the proposal. He really didn't know what this spirit was capable of and he didn't want to find out what he could do by disagreeing. So he nodded.

_/// Ok, but you promised! I want my life to be normal tomorrow. Uh…about as normal as my life gets, anyway. ///_

Yami smirked. _// Thank you, TK. Now bear with me and play along with whatever I say. //_

TK braced himself. He could sense trouble on the horizon.

* * *

Yugi waited anxiously for Yami to finish his inner conversation with TK. It took a while, but Yami finally opened his eyes and got ready to speak again.

"I've talked to TK," Yami said. "We've come to a decision. I'm staying."

Yugi's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

"You can't be serious!" Joey added.

"You two don't even know each other!" Tristan pointed out.

"Yami, you can't!" Téa cried.

"Our decision is made!" Yami snapped. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave!"

Yami wasn't leaving any room for rational argument, because he was starting to push Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Téa out of the apartment. Before Yugi could even utter another word, the door was slammed in his face.

"He can't do that to us!" Joey growled. Then he sweatdropped. "Can he?"

"I guess he really doesn't want to come back," Yugi said sadly. "He didn't accept my apology."

There was a moment of silence before a smile came to Téa. It looked like she had an idea.

"Maybe there's someone else who can help us," Téa smiled. "It's a long shot, but I think it just might work."

"What's the plan, Téa?" Joey asked.

Téa began to explain her plan to her friends. And it sounded crazy, indeed. No one understood how it was supposed to help at first. Then Yugi figured it out.

It sounded like it just might work.

* * *

With that finished, Yami turned around and wandered over to the nearby couch. But he was intercepted by the young girl and a flying pig.

"TK, I know the real you is in there somewhere," she said. "You can't seriously mean that you want this other spirit in your body!"

"Are you Kari?" Yami asked.

Kari blinked. "Yeah, that's me."

"I must ask you to be patient with us," Yami requested. "We know exactly what we're doing." He then shifted his gaze to the flying pig. "And you must be that thing called Patamon."

"That's me," he said.

"Just what are you, anyway?" Yami asked curiously. "Is this some sort of ancient black magic?"

Patamon snickered. "What do you think I am? Out of a Harry Potter movie or something? I'm a Digimon."

"A Digimon?" Yami repeated. "Is that some ancient unknown race?"

Kari sweatdropped. "Uh…Yami, is it? Maybe we should have a seat. I'll tell you all about us and…you can tell us all about yourself…and where you came from…and why you're stuck inside my boyfriend."

Kari led Yami over to the couch and sat him down. He kept his eye on Patamon, looking bewildered all the while.

Kari struggled with where to begin. "Uh…I guess I can explain it all to you…"

* * *

"Tell me again why you have his number on speed dial?" Joey asked.

Yugi was also curious as to why Téa had that phone number programmed into her cell phone. But now wasn't the time to bring up such oddities. They had to see if he could help them out. Once Téa dialed the number, she handed the phone to Yugi.

"Hello? **…** Hi, it's… **…** Oh, you recognized me. **…** Um…I don't know how to say this, but…I need your help. **…** It's Yami. Something's happened with the Millennium Puzzle and it's fallen into someone else's hands. **…** Yes, that does mean Yami isn't in my body. The problem is he doesn't want to come back. **…** We were thinking you could help. **…** Why should you help? **…** Uh…because if you don't, you'll never get that rematch you've always wanted. You'll go down in history as the #2 duelist in the world. **…** You'll be here? Great! We're in Odaiba! We'll call you up in a little while and leave you the directions! Thanks a lot!"

Yugi hung up the phone with a smile on his face. He managed to bait him into coming. Yugi knew he couldn't resist helping if he held the prospect of a rematch over his head.

"So he's coming?" Tristan asked.

"He's on his way," Yugi answered.

"What an egomaniac," Joey scoffed. "You know he's just doing this for the rematch. He can't take that loss on his record."

"Maybe he is, but we need him," Yugi pointed out. "He may be our only hope to get Yami back."

If Yami had one fatal flaw, it was that he refused to lose and never backed down from anything, no matter what the odds. It was the only thing Yugi could play up, it was Yami's arrogance. It was his only chance to get him back.

* * *

Yami was thinking about everything he had heard. He had heard a lot of mythical stories back in ancient Egypt, but never anything like this. And these stories certainly didn't appear to be a myth. If this Patamon was any indication, they all appeared to be very true.

"There's so little I know about you," Yami muttered. "I thought I had stumbled into the body of a normal boy."

"TK's far from normal," Kari said calmly as she took a sip of tea. "We've faced off against the Dark Masters, Apocalymon, and MaloMyotismon together."

"I see. Those are evil Digimon?"

"Uh huh. They nearly took over our world and the Digital World."

"Hmm…can I have some time to absorb all this, Kari? I'll just be in the puzzle. I'm sure TK would like to see you again, anyway."

Yami just shrugged and decided to let TK handle this. The ancient one had no idea what he was doing in this strange body. He was starting to think he should have gone back with his Aibou.

* * *

Kari put her tea down when he saw Yami's expression go blank. "Yami?"

Instead, Kari got a familiar voice. "Kari?"

Kari's face brightened. "TK!"

TK shook his head furiously. "I am NOT used to this!"

"I'm sure you aren't. Are you ok?"

"I feel fine now, but whenever he's out there, it feels like the inside of my body is…crowded. I feel like a spectator in my own mind. I know he hears me and I can still think, but the words aren't mine."

Kari held TK's hand. "You poor thing. It sounds like you've been through a lot. When is this going to end?"

"He says he has an idea to teach that guy a lesson. I just hope he makes it quick. He said it would only be a day."

"I hope it doesn't take long. This is so weird."

"I just want my body back. I want it ALL back!"

Kari felt a soft spot for TK. She stroked his hair back, sending a signal to Patamon that it was time for him to avert his gaze. Patamon turned around while Kari closed her eyes and moved in for a kiss. She gave TK a soothing kiss and held it for almost a minute. Kari was totally caught up in the moment. When she broke the kiss, she got an unexpected response.

"So soft," a deep voice said. "Reminds me of my first wife."

Kari gasped. She hadn't kissed TK. She kissed Yami! He had stolen a kiss from her. Instinctively, Kari reached back and slapped the taste out of his mouth.

"OW!" a whiny voice cried. "Kari, what was that for?!"

Kari gasped again. "TK, I'm so sorry! I thought it was…"

"It was," TK said as he rubbed his cheek painfully. "He went back to the puzzle just before you slapped me. I didn't know you could slap so hard. Have you been working out?"

Kari sighed deeply. "This is going to be a long night."

* * *

Yugi waited patiently in front of the motel with Téa sitting right beside him while Joey and Tristan struggled to get a soda out of the stubborn Coke machine. The wait felt like an eternity, but once the wait was over, Yugi knew it would be worth it. It would all be worth it once he had Yami back.

"I hope this works," Yugi muttered.

"I know it will," Téa said cheerfully. "Trust me."

After another five minutes of waiting, a limousine pulled up to the parking lot and stopped right in front of Yugi and Téa. Joey and Tristan pulled themselves away from the Coke machine long enough to notice that the limo had stopped and the door was slowly opening.

"I still can't believe we called this jerk," Joey grumbled.

Yugi sighed. "I'm glad you're here."

The figure, shrouded in the darkness of the inside of his limo, just chuckled. "I'm surprised you actually resorted to calling me, Yugi. You seem so different without your Yami around. But I'll be more than happy to help you get him back if it means getting that rematch!"

The figure stepped out of the limo and out of the darkness, revealing…

…Seto Kaiba.

  


Next Time: It's a simple plan. Incite Yami to return to Yugi by bringing in a mocking Kaiba. But will it clash with Yami's plan to teach Yugi a lesson? And what happens during the night between Yami and the confused TK and Patamon?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	4. Breakfast At The Diner

Last Time: Yugi wanted his Yami to come back to him, but was promptly refused. But in actuality, Yami has a plan to teach Yugi a lesson and has TK's total cooperation. Sensing hopelessness, Yugi has actually gone as far at to get help…from Seto Kaiba.

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 4**

  


TK was trying to sleep soundly. It had been a long day and maybe a good night's sleep could help him relax. And he felt himself drifting off into dreamland. He saw himself getting to his feet and walking towards his front door and out of his apartment. It felt so real, the way dreams often did.

But then it hit him. He wasn't dreaming! Yami had come out again and was walking him out.

_/// Yami, what are you doing? It's late and I need sleep. ///_

// I'm sorry, TK. But I need time to think. //

/// Can't you think from inside the puzzle? ///

// I'd much rather think while looking at the stars…the way I used to do back in Egypt. //

/// Do you ever do this to Yugi? ///

// My Aibou doesn't complain nearly as much as you do! //

/// Ok, I can see I won't be getting any sleep tonight. Well, if you need someone to listen, I'm here. What's on your mind? ///

Yami walked TK's body out of the apartment and over to the second-story ledge, where he looked out into the sky.

_// I'm thinking about what led up to this. What made Yugi want to do this? I was just trying to do what I felt was right! //_

/// What exactly did you do, anyway? ///

There was a moment of silence before Yami's voice sounded again.

_// We were in a place called the Duelist Kingdom. We had gone to save Yugi's grandfather's soul from the clutches of an evil man known as Maximillion Pegasus. We had just reached Pegasus's castle but were intercepted by a lowlife known as Seto Kaiba. He challenged me to a duel, with the winner going into Pegasus's castle. Naturally, I had come out to duel for Yugi. Even after dishing out his most powerful attacks, Kaiba couldn't beat me. I was ready to deliver the final blow. But Kaiba thought he could force me to throw the duel by standing on a ledge that was a few dozen stories from the ground. If I had made my move, Kaiba would have likely fallen to his death. I didn't flinch. I continued the attack, but Yugi reached from within and took control at the very last second. He stopped me from attacking and Kaiba won the duel. //_

/// You were willing to risk killing someone? ///

// Kaiba is a poor excuse for a human being! He dared to stand against us in our quest to save Yugi's grandfather! I was willing to do away with him, but Yugi was not. He showed compassion. Yugi interpreted the whole incident as just me wanting to win at any cost. But I did it for his grandfather! I did it for Yugi! //

/// But trying to kill someone is wrong. There had to be another way and you shouldn't have FORCED Yugi to make a move! It was his body first. ///

// But we've been together for a long time. It's as if he's suddenly lost trust in me. //

/// I don't really trust you, either. You stole a kiss from Kari! ///

// Uh…um…that's…just a little ancient puzzle humor. //

/// Humor or not, you just jumped right in and pushed me out of my own body. You can't be doing that if you want things between you and Yugi to ever be like they used to be. ///

// Well…I guess I've learned that much. To tell you the truth, I've missed my Aibou. Maybe I should just go back. //

/// Does that mean this whole nightmare will be over tomorrow? ///

// I must apologize again, TK. This must be very awkward for you. You have my word that this ends tomorrow. //

/// Does that mean we can go to bed now? ///

TK started to feel someone tugging on his arm. He sensed that he had control of his body again. Yami must have gone back into the Millennium Puzzle.

"TK?"

TK turned his head and realized that nine-year-old Cody Hida had come out to check on him. Cody was the only other friend that lived out in the apartment complex after Yolei's family moved into a house of their own.

"Oh…I was just coming out for some fresh air," TK muttered.

"You had this weird look on your face," Cody said. "It was like your mind just went off into space."

"Uh…something like that."

"Huh?"

"Um…never mind. Thanks for coming out, Cody, but I'm fine."

"Hey, what's that around your neck?"

TK looked down at the Millennium Puzzle hanging over his neck. "Oh, this? It's…just something I found. Don't worry about it."

Cody eyed it once more before walking off. He was obviously concerned, but TK didn't want anyone else to think something was wrong. After all, this would all be over by the next day.

* * *

A new day had arrived and TK was about to fall asleep. His eyes were red from not getting enough sleep the night before and he had no one to blame but Yami, who had him up all night long. TK just wanted this borderline-psychotic episode to end.

TK was almost in dreamland. He nearly didn't hear someone knock on the door. He shrugged off his weariness and walked over to answer the door. Opening the door to see Kari should have made him happy, but he honestly felt like collapsing.

"TK! Uh…it is TK, right?"

"It's me, Kari," TK yawned.

Kari gasped. "TK, you poor thing! You're a wreck!"

"It's not easy when my body's not my own anymore," TK sighed. "My other half wanted to stay up and think. So I didn't get much sleep. And a few hours ago, when I DID start to fall asleep, my mom woke up when she slammed the door on her way out to work. I just want this to be over."

"Maybe I can help you get your mind off everything," Kari suggested. "You want to grab some breakfast?"

"Sounds good! I think my night built up an appetite."

TK and Kari were about to walk out hand-in-hand, but found they almost forgot someone.

"Hey! Can I come, too?"

TK turned around and saw Patamon sitting up on the couch. He looked pretty hungry, himself. TK wasn't in the mood to argue, so he would simply agree. TK walked over and grabbed his gym bag.

"Ok, but stay out of sight. Maybe I'll give you some leftovers."

Patamon zipped into the bag as TK's stomach started to growl. His stomach growled for a good thirty seconds. He bashfully gazed at Kari.

Kari sweatdropped. "I'm pretty hungry, too. Let's eat."

* * *

The night passed by slowly for Yugi and daytime couldn't come soon enough for him. The thought of his lost Yami kept him tossing and turning the whole night. But there was more that was distressing Yugi on this morning. It was knowing who was waiting for him outside the door.

Yugi sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

He walked past his friends and opened the door to see the man he had reluctantly asked for help.

"It's about time. Does it ALWAYS take you this long to start your day?"

Yugi couldn't believe he was actually asking for Seto Kaiba to help him. Of all the people that could help, this was the last person he expected to turn to.

"I'm glad you came," Yugi said politely.

"Let's get this over with," Kaiba growled. "The sooner we end this, the sooner I get what I want."

"I see you aren't doing this out of the goodness of your heart, Kaiba," Joey muttered.

"Oh, please! I have a score to settle with Yugi and his alter ego, but to do that, I need them to be together."

Kaiba walked over to the motel's parking lot where a limousine was waiting for him. He opened the back door for his guests.

"Téa…"

Téa made her way into the limo.

"Tristan…"

Tristan went in behind Téa.

"Yugi…"

Yugi went in third.

"Monkey…"

Joey was about to go in…before that last comment hit him.

"Why, you…!"

Téa pulled Joey into the limo before anything could erupt between him and Kaiba. Kaiba and Joey had a rocky relationship that stemmed back from the day Kaiba demolished Yugi's grandfather in a duel and sent him to the hospital. The animosity intensified after Kaiba humiliated Joey in a duel. They had never seen eye-to-eye and likely never will.

Kaiba finally entered the limo. "Driver, take us to this address…"

* * *

Kari hadn't seen TK eat like that in a long time. He was still gobbling down a plate of all-you- can-eat pancakes at the local diner. Kari sweatdropped as she watched her boyfriend eat like there was no tomorrow.

"You aren't eating for two, are you?" Kari asked.

"I'm pretty sure this guy doesn't eat," TK said with his mouth full. "But that's ok. I'll still eat for him. I'm really hungry."

"I can tell," Kari said dryly.

TK's gym bag shook. "Psst…TK!"

TK stuffed a pancake in his bag, which Patamon happily ate up. Breakfast hadn't nearly been as awkward as Kari was expecting it to be. There was no sign of Yami at all. It was just Kari and TK (and occasionally Patamon popping up) for the whole time.

A few minutes later, the tranquility of breakfast was interrupted. The door opened and a scruffy thug with a denim jacket and black jeans came in and held a gun up in the air.

"Ok, everybody get down! This is a robbery!"

Everybody got down as the thug shot his gun in the air. It finally got TK to stop eating, as he ducked right alongside Kari. Kari felt comforted when TK held her close. Patamon stuck his head out of the bag. It looked like he wanted to do something, but he couldn't risk exposing himself. But just as the robber reached the counter to rob the cash register, Kari was nearly blinded when he saw the puzzle around TK's neck start to react.

When the light faded, TK's bewildered expression was replaced by an expression that was confident, yet outraged at what was happening. To Kari's shock, TK started to get out from under the table. Kari reached for his hand, but TK shrugged it off. It was obvious that Yami had come out.

Yami TK got out from under the table and started to approach the counter. When the thief saw him coming, he turned and aimed his gun at him.

"Get back, kid!"

"You're very brave when you're holding a weapon," Yami TK said with his uniquely deep voice. "Why don't you face me like a man, rather than like a coward? Why don't you and I play a little game?"

"A game? Are you nuts?"

"I think you'll like this game," Yami smirked. "Because it's a game for your life! The game is simple. Using one finger, you'll try and take the other's life. The only rule is, you are prohibited from using any other finger. So what will you do, coward? Which finger will you use to kill me?"

Kari gasped in horror. "TK!"

That was crazy. That spirit inhabiting TK was talking about playing a life-and-death game. Kari couldn't believe she was about to watch Yami just risk TK's life like that.

The thug chuckled. "You're out of your mind, kid. But I'll play your little game. I choose my index finger, which is also my trigger finger."

Yami chuckled right back. "And I'll choose my thumb. Tell me something, coward. Is that alcohol I smell on your jacket? Russian vodka, if I'm not mistaking?"

"What's it to you?"

Yami just kept chuckling. "Oh, you'll see. Game start!"

The thief pointed his gun at TK. "Game over! Say goodbye, kid!"

Yami casually took a lighter out of his pocket and lit it with his thumb. He lowered the flame to the thief's alcohol-soaked jacket. The jacket immediately burst into flames. The robber dropped his gun and frantically tried to put the fire out. Satisfied with having foiled this robbery, Yami calmly looked over at Kari.

"Kari, let's go."

Kari nervously got out from underneath the table, but quickly stopped when she saw that the robber had taken his jacket off and tossed it to the ground. He then reached for his gun on the ground with his other hand. TK had his back to the whole thing and Kari feared the worst.

"Look out!" she cried.

Yami sighed and kept his back to the thief. "Coward! I knew you'd cheat!" He turned around and extended his hand. "The gates of darkness have opened and now *I* decide your fate. MIND CRUSH!!"

The thief's stare suddenly went blank and he fell to the ground. The thief just looked at the ceiling and started convulsing and twitching. Kari couldn't believe what she saw and the rest of the diner was left speechless. Yami walked over to Kari and extended his hand to her.

"Let's go."

Not knowing what to make of any of this, Kari just grabbed TK's gym bag and came out from underneath the table. The robber was still in convulsions on the ground. As they left the diner, Kari looked back one more time at the twitching thief.

This definitely wasn't her TK she was walking with. Kari was a child of light and she knew when something wasn't right. And there was something very dark about this spirit known as Yami.

  


Next Time: If you thought breakfast at the diner was intense, wait until you see the walk home. Yami's only just begun. And what happens when they get back to the apartment and meet up with Yugi and the others?

  


Author's Note: Fans of anime subs should recognize the way Yami dealt with our robber. He actually used a very similar method of dealing with a bad guy in the first Japanese season's second episode, before Duel Monsters became a focal point in the series. From what I've seen and heard, the original first season of Yu-Gi-Oh was VERY dark and violent. Anyway, that was just to explain the scene. Hope you enjoyed it. ^_^

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	5. The Walk Home

Last Time: Nighttime and breakfast should have gone on normally, but circumstances (and Yami TK) dictated otherwise. And they aren't even home yet! Meanwhile, Yugi's on his way to get his Yami back…along with Seto Kaiba!

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 5**

  


For the first time, Kari was afraid to walk next to her boyfriend. She knew it was TK's body, but the spirit definitely wasn't TK. After what happened at the diner, she was sure of it.

"What's the matter, Kari?" Yami asked. "You seem so distant."

Kari couldn't just keep her feelings bottled up. "What did you do to that guy?!"

"The coward? He simply met his fate by my hand."

"You killed him!"

"Now, I didn't kill him. But I grant you, he won't be the same again. Perhaps next time, he'll think twice before he attempts to do evil again."

"I'm starting to see why Yugi took the Millennium Puzzle apart!" Kari cried. "You go too far!"

"Yugi had no right to take the Millennium Puzzle apart!" Yami snapped. "And you have no right to say that! I was doing what I felt was best!"

"There are other ways to do things besides making a guy lose his mind!" Kari shot back. "That's not the way TK would have done it!"

"TK wouldn't have had the guts," Yami muttered. "I had to prompt him!"

Kari just shook her head and kept walking. "You ARE an evil spirit, no matter what you say! I really hope this ends soon, because I don't want TK to be forced to deal with your dark ways much longer!"

Kari started to storm off, wanting to leave Yami behind. But she didn't get very far, because when she crossed an alley, somebody dragged her into an alley. Kari could barely even react before she found herself being held up at gunpoint by a crook wearing a black stocking over his head.

"Give me your money, kid."

Kari was ready to comply, but then the worst happened. Yami had come to her rescue again. He was standing by the alley wall.

"A pitiful excuse for a human being! Robbing a child?"

The crook turned around. "What's it to you, punk? Mind you own business!"

"Why don't you step away from the girl and play a little game with me?" Yami smirked. "If you win, not only can you have the money, but you can also take the girl to do with as you please."

Kari was outraged. "HEY!"

"But if *I* win, then *I* will decide your fate."

The crook laughed. "You're on, punk!"

Kari had no say in any of this. She now found her life on the line in this game, whatever it was.

Yami reached into TK's vest and pulled something out. Kari saw that it was a freshly wrapped package of Duel Monsters cards. He unwrapped the cards and shuffled them.

"We each pick the top card. Whoever draws the cards with the highest Attack Points wins. Pick your card, coward."

Kari couldn't believe that her very life came down to a luck of the draw. The crook drew the top card.

"Curse of Dragon: 2000!"

Kari was in shock. She would never see her loved ones again if she had to be taken away with this crook. She wanted to scream, but couldn't muster the energy to. Then Yami confidently drew his card.

"And I draw the Dark Magician, with an attack strength of 2500! Looks like I win!"

The crook shrugged and held up his gun. "Enough of your games, kid! This gun says *I* win!"

Yami just shook his head. "Take your loss fair and square, coward. MIND CRUSH!!"

Yami extended his hand and, just like back in the diner, the crook fell to the ground and started convulsing. Having finished his game, Yami threw the Duel Monsters on the fallen crook. It took a while for the shock to sink in for Kari. She stood frozen. But she found herself able to move again as soon as Yami reached for her hand. Kari quickly snatched it away.

"How DARE you use me as a bargaining chip!! What if you had lost?!"

Yami smirked. "I never lose, Kari."

Kari was dumbfounded. "That's NOT the point!! How could you…you…you….AAAHH!!"

Kari couldn't take it. She reared back and slapped the taste out of Yami's mouth. At least she THOUGHT it was Yami.

"OW!! Kari!!" a whiny voice cried.

To Kari's utter disbelief, Yami had retreated into the puzzle and now TK was back out. She had unknowingly slapped her boyfriend…again.

Kari gasped. "TK! I'm so sorry!"

"You slap harder everyday," TK asked, noticing the trickle of blood coming out of his mouth.

Kari sighed deeply. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok…mostly. But this is getting really creepy. There's something really weird about this guy."

Kari hung her head down solemnly. "There's something about him. I sense a huge darkness whenever he's out."

"I'm not a dark person. That's not who I am. And I don't want this darkness inside me! I really want this all to be over!"

Kari closed her eyes. "So do I."

* * *

Finally, TK had reached his apartment and it couldn't have come a moment too soon. After everything that happened at the diner and on the walk home, TK didn't want to take anymore chances on Yami suddenly coming out and taking control. At this point, he could only hope something would end all this. So TK began to converse with this ancient spirit inside him.

_/// So when does this end? ///_

// Yugi takes after me quite a bit. He never gives up. So I'll venture to guess that he'll be here to try again right about… //

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door. Indeed, it was Yugi and his friends, who had just approached the premises. TK gladly held the door opened as he put his arm around Kari.

"Yugi, I was really hoping you'd drop by. Come on in."

Yugi accepted the offer and walked through the door. "I'm glad I ran into you and not Yami, TK. I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you."

Joey walked in behind Yugi. "We hope you've both come to your senses and decided to take the puzzle apart and give it back to Yugi."

Tristan came in third. "We'd hate to drag this on anymore than we have to."

And Téa brought up the rear. "Have you thought about it at all, TK?"

"I can't lie to you," TK began. "A little something like an ancient dark spirit taking up space in my body is a little hard to ignore. But…I can't say I've come to a decision."

"You're an indecisive person, aren't you?" Joey blurted out before Téa elbowed him in the stomach.

"Pay no attention to the dueling monkey over here," Tristan cut in.

Joey snarled. "I told you not to…!"

"What Joey meant to say," Téa interrupted, "was that you really haven't made a decision? You've had a whole night to think about it."

"I don't want to intervene in what's probably more of a personal situation," TK explained. "So I agreed to let Yami deal with this."

Yugi sighed. "I guess I can understand." He looked at the Millennium Puzzle. "Yami, please let me plead my case one more time."

That got a reaction out of the Millennium Puzzle. Yami began to emerge from within and take control of TK's body again.

* * *

Yugi waited anxiously for Yami to come out. This was his last chance before turning to his ultimate last resort. After the light from the Millennium Puzzle faded, the young, happy-go-lucky TK was once again replaced by Yami, who showed off his trademark self-confident expression.

"What part of 'no' don't you understand, Yugi? I'm perfectly happy with my new Aibou."

"I'm going to give you one last chance," Yugi sighed. "Please come back, Yami. Don't make me have to resort to what I'm about to do."

"No," Yami said calmly. "There is no reason for me to return." Then he got a twinkle in his eye. "Unless…"

But Yugi didn't give him a chance to add anything else. "Ok, then I'm afraid I no longer have a choice." He looked outside the still-open door. "Ok, come on in!"

As soon as he came in, it didn't take long for the fire to light in Yami's eyes. Just seeing that person again was enough to ignite something in the ancient one. And the guy at the door only had a smirk that would infuriate him further.

"KAIBA!"

Seto Kaiba turned his gaze to Kari. "Where are my manners? May I come in?"

Kari just blinked, completely in the dark. "Uh…come in."

Kaiba slowly wandered into the apartment and closed the door behind him. He looked to be very satisfied with this scene. He moved in right between Yugi and Yami, who had his angered glare fixed right on Kaiba.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day," Kaiba chuckled. "Yugi and his better half, separated. That's a nice look for you, Yami. It's very Gilligan. I can't say that I ever expected to see any of this happen, but I can say I'm very amused. And what makes all this even better is that this whole fight started…over me. I almost feel touched."

Yami shifted his furious gaze to Yugi. "You are NOT endearing yourself, Yugi! What's the meaning of bringing HIM here?!"

"Oh Yami, don't snap at poor Yugi," Kaiba said mockingly. "We all know what this is really about. Come on, what kind of fool do you take me for? When this hapless kid put together the Millennium Puzzle, unaware of what would happen, you saw that as the perfect opportunity to separate yourself from Yugi. The question everyone seemed to have was, why would you abandon Yugi after all you've been through together? But I know the answer. I know exactly why you would separate yourself from the host you've known for so long!

"It's because you're afraid of me! You couldn't handle the fact that I defeated you! And rather than risk ever losing to me again, you decided to start a new life and start fresh. I must say, that's very admirable…and cowardly."

A fire rose out of TK's hair. That crack sent Yami over the edge. "I am NOT afraid of you, Kaiba!!"

Kari inched over towards Yugi and whispered in his ear. "Uh…Yugi? What's the whole point of this?"

Yugi whispered back into Kari's ear so nobody would hear. "Yami could never turn down a challenge from anybody, much less Seto Kaiba. He's got a lot of pride. But if he ever wants to take this challenge and shut Kaiba up, he'll have to come home with me."

Meanwhile, Kaiba continued his verbal onslaught. "You're all talk, Yami. Face it! If what I'm saying isn't true, then you wouldn't be hiding behind a new host. The truth is, our little series is tied one to one. However, I won the second time because you can't beat me without Exodia. You could NEVER beat me without Exodia! You know that if we dueled again, I would win just like last time."

"You won because you took the coward's way out!" Yami pointed out indignantly. "You won because Yugi held me back!"

Kaiba only laughed. "Then maybe you should go back to Yugi so we could find out."

That was the line that was sure to get Yami to come back. But if only Kaiba had stopped there.

"But I have a better idea," he continued. "You see, this whole situation presents a unique opportunity. With Yugi and Yami separated, I'd like to see just who IS the better half."

Yugi was in shock. "Kaiba, this isn't what we talked about…"

"I'm altering our little deal, Yugi! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! My proposal is a game of Duel Monsters…for high stakes. Yami and Yugi, one-on-one."

"We never discussed a duel!" Yugi cried.

"What's on the line?" Yami demanded.

"I'll make it easy so even Joey can understand," Kaiba smirked.

"Hey!"

"If you win, then Yugi and his friends over there will leave you alone forever. Furthermore, I'll give you a chance to duel me one more time, so you can try to shut my mouth and prove you're better than I am. But if Yugi wins, you let this kid take apart the Millennium Puzzle and go back to Yugi. THEN I get a rematch, so that I can break our tie and prove that I'm the superior duelist! So what do you two say? Up for a duel?"

"No way," Yugi huffed. "For one thing, Yami doesn't even have a deck of…"

Anticipating Yugi's protest, Kaiba reached into his blue trench coat and pulled out a fresh, unwrapped deck of Duel Monsters cards. He tossed them to Yami.

"A little something I always keep with me, just in case. While the deck may contain random cards, I'm sure it'll be no problem for Yami since he's an expert duelist and all. Anymore objections, Yugi?"

Yugi wanted to protest again. Even if he wanted to duel, he was no match for his Yami. Yami had always been the expert dueler. He was the one who beat Pegasus and got through the Duelist Kingdom. Yugi was about to refuse, but Yami quickly put an end to that.

"It's your only chance to get me back, Aibou," he said. "For once, I'll let the game of Duel Monsters decide MY fate. I won't have it any other way."

Yugi couldn't argue with that. He was backed in a corner. "Ok, I accept."

"Good," Kaiba smirked. "Now for this duel, we'll head outside. I'll have to ask for you to wait for me there. I'll be right back. I just have to grab my dueling disks."

"Wait a minute!" Yugi snapped. "You just happen to have fresh decks of cards AND your dueling disks here?!"

Joey put two and two together. "You creep! You had this all planned, didn't you?! As soon as Yugi called you, you started playing us for chumps! You didn't do this for Yugi, you did this for yourself!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Joey," Kaiba said, feigning innocence. "All I know is that if Yugi wins, he gets his Yami back…AND I get my rematch. But if he loses…I get my rematch anyway. Hey, I guess now that you look at it, I win either way AND I get to watch the two halves of Yugi duel each other."

Yugi couldn't believe this. He had fallen for this ruse hook, line, and sinker. Instead of getting Yami to come willingly, Yugi would have to duel. But Yami was the best duelist in the world. He truly WAS his better half. Yugi didn't stand a chance.

He would have to have faith in the heart of the cards. It was all he could do.

  


Next Time: Yugi and Yami duel EACH OTHER? It's about to happen. Who will win? And will Kari have a hand in the outcome?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	6. Time To Duel!

Last Time: TK didn't get much sleep after Yami spent the night thinking about the day to come and what a day it was! Yami never got his plan off the ground, because everything changed as soon as Yugi and his friends came by with none other than Seto Kaiba. While Yugi expected Kaiba's presence to bring Yami back, Kaiba took it a step further and proposed that Yugi face Yami in a duel. Both have accepted and now it's time to duel!

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 6**

  


Yugi couldn't believe this was happening. He never thought it would come down to this. He was outside the apartment complex, by the patio, with one of Kaiba's dueling disks on his wrist. It was really happening. He was actually about to duel Yami. The same Yami that had helped beat Pegasus and helped Yugi get his grandpa back.

Although he was in TK's body, Yami looked just like he always did. The white hat was off now and Yami TK stood tall with one hand in his pocket and the other in his vest. He and Yugi now stood facing each other with Seto Kaiba standing between them. And there were more than enough spectators present. Joey, Tristan, Téa, and Kari were all standing on the sidelines, waiting for this battle to begin.

"You both know the rules," Kaiba said. "You each start off with 2000 life points. First one to bring his opponent down to zero, wins. Are you ready?"

Yugi nodded. "I'm ready."

Yami smirked. "Let's duel!"

**Yugi's LP 2000 || Yami's LP 2000**

Kaiba's dueling disks came as close to simulating reality as it could get. Yugi was standing, facing five life-sized cards. The first move would be a crucial one and Yugi luckily had the perfect card to lead off with.

"I play Celtic Guardian in Attack Mode!"

**Celtic Guardian 1400/1200**

Yugi didn't want to waste any time. He couldn't afford to be cute around a duelist as serious as his Yami. The Celtic Guardian would hopefully get him off to a good start. When he laid the card down, the elf warrior appeared with a fierce scowl, wielding his sword.

Kari gasped. "You can bring these things to life?"

"Amazing, ain't it?" Joey grinned. "Sometimes I still can't believe it."

Yami wasn't shaken. "A good card, Aibou. You've learned much from me. But it won't help you. I start with Mammoth Graveyard in Attack Mode!"

**Mammoth Graveyard 1200/800**

"I'll also play a card face down."

Yugi knew to be cautious. Mammoth Graveyard couldn't stand up to the Celtic Guardian. Yami had something up his sleeve. He either had a magic card or a trap card lying in wait. Since Yami's was a fresh deck that had never been used, anything could happen. Before going on to his next turn, Yugi played a card face down. Then he attacked.

"Celtic Guardian, attack Mammoth Graveyard with Silverblade Slash!"

Yugi rushed in and moved in with his Celtic Guardian, but it turned out to be a very foolish move.

"Not so fast, Yugi! I have a magic card face down and that card is the Raise Body Heat card, which raises the Attack and Defense points of any dinosaur-type monster like my Mammoth Graveyard by 300 points, which is enough to defeat your Celtic Guardian! Mammoth Graveyard, attack Celtic Guardian!"

Yugi felt dumb for not seeing such an obvious ploy coming. Mammoth Graveyard got just enough of a boost to demolish the Celtic Guardian and Yugi was suddenly down to 1900 life points. Yugi couldn't afford to be so careless with his next move. So he drew again and got a formidable monster, but not enough to beat the beefed-up Mammoth Graveyard. So Yugi made the best move he could make.

"I summon the Beaver Warrior in Defense Mode."

**Beaver Warrior 1200/1500**

The Beaver Warrior wouldn't do much good, but with its 1500 defense points, it would hold off the boosted Mammoth Graveyard until Yugi's next turn. It also gave him a chance to play a magic card face down. Yami sighed and drew another card. Then he smiled. It looked like he had drawn something good.

"This whole duel is nothing more than a mismatch, Yugi, as you shall soon realize. I play this Monster Replace card to bring back Mammoth Graveyard and play Thunder Dragon in Attack Mode!"

**Thunder Dragon 1600/1000**

"Thunder Dragon, strike down the Beaver Warrior!"

With a fierce roar, the Thunder Dragon aimed and fired, destroying the Beaver Warrior. Since he was in Defense Mode, Yugi didn't lose any life points, but he still felt the heat from the ferocious attack.

The Thunder Dragon was a card that Yugi hadn't encountered in his ventures at Duelist Kingdom. It would be enough to eliminate the Beaver Warrior. Yami must have been getting to the heart of his deck already. Yugi had to hope to draw a better card. He closed his eyes and thought about the heart of the cards. And when he drew, he found his best ally.

Yugi smirked, just like his Yami would. "I summon the Dark Magician in Attack Mode!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100**

The Dark Magician was Yugi's best card and the one card that Yami would sorely miss in this duel. Yugi never dueled without it. And the Thunder Dragon wouldn't last long against the Dark Magician. Yugi clearly had the advantage. But he also noticed another target: Mammoth Graveyard.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!"

The Dark Magician extended his hand and unleashed his Dark Magic Attack, taking out Yami's Mammoth Graveyard. Yami found himself in a hole and down to 1000 Life Points.

But Yami wasn't shaken at all. "Big mistake, Yugi. You should have destroyed my dragon while you had the chance. And while the Dark Magician may not be on my side on this day, it won't matter. I play Magical Hats!"

Four Magical Hats fell onto the field, one covering the Thunder Dragon. Only one hat contained it. Yugi had played this move himself on more than one occasion. The other three cards could either be empty or possibly contain a trap card. To risk the Dark Magician would be crazy. So Yugi drew another card and got lucky again.

"I'm not falling for this, Yami! I play Curse of Dragon in Attack Mode!"

**Curse of Dragon 2000/1100**

Curse of Dragon wasn't as strong as the Dark Magician, but it could still beat the Thunder Dragon. Of course, it could only happen IF he found him in the right hat.

"Curse of Dragon! Attack with Dragon Flame!"

Curse of Dragon struck at the second hat to the left. The hat shattered, but it was empty and Yugi had wasted a turn.

"Sorry, Yugi. He's not there. Your next mistake may be your last, because I'm playing a trap card face down under one of the hats. One contains my Thunder Dragon, the other contains my trap card, and the other one is empty. Hope you feel lucky. But let's make this even better. I'll play the Change of Heart card to control your Dark Magician for the remainder of my turn! And I'll use it to destroy your Curse of Dragon!"

As lucky as Yugi had gotten during this duel, it didn't look like it was about to last. The Dark Magician turned around and obliterated Curse of Dragon, lowering Yugi's life points to 1400. Mercifully, the turn was over and Yugi had control of the Dark Magician again, but the damage had been done.

**Yugi's LP 1400 || Yami's LP 1000**

"It's ok, Yugi!" Téa shouted. "You can come back!"

Yugi couldn't let that setback let him down. He was far from finished. And when he had drawn his next card, he once again had a chance to let someone else take the risk for the Dark Magician.

"I play the Summoned Skull in Attack Mode!"

**Summoned Skull 2500/1200**

While the Summoned Skull and Dark Magician had the same number of Attack Points, Yugi was partial towards his Dark Magician. So he attacked with his Summoned Skull. It struck one of the hats with a furious lightning attack, but disaster had happened as the hat disintegrated.

Yami chuckled. "Sorry, Yugi. You destroyed the hat and activated my trap card, the Mirror Force card! The Mirror Force card reflects your attack and destroys ALL the monsters you have on the field!"

It was the worst thing that could have happened to Yugi. Although his life points remained at 1400, his Summoned Skull and Dark Magician were both annihilated before his very eyes. Yugi's two strongest cards were out of play.

It got worse from there. Yami drew another card and got the one he was looking for.

"And with my next turn, I'll play my SECOND Thunder Dragon! And with this Polymerization card, I'll fuse them together to create the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

**Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon 2800/2100**

The first Thunder Dragon exited the safety of the Magical hats and fused together with the second Thunder Dragon to create a new fearsome creature. That fresh deck that Kaiba supplied Yami with contained VERY powerful cards. Yugi was now backed into a corner. With his two strongest cards gone, he couldn't possibly stand up to this furious Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. He looked back at his friends and Kari, hoping for some support. Téa and Kari were scratching the back of their heads tensely and Joey and Tristan were whistling nervously.

"I guess we're finding out just who IS the better duelist," Kaiba smirked. "I must say, this duel has been rather one-sided. Got any other moves, Yugi?"

Honestly, Yugi had nothing. He could draw another card and hope for the best, so he did. He got just what he needed. Combined with the card he already had face down, this would actually STOP Yami and his dragon.

"Hey, Yami! I'm sure you remember this strategy! I play Kuriboh in Attack Mode!"

**Kuriboh 300/200**

"It looks like a Furby," Kari noted. "How is that that supposed to stand up to a giant two-headed dragon?"

Kuriboh was the weakest creature in all of Duel Monsters. Any serious duelist would be laughed at for using such a card. But Yami and Yugi had used it once before to their advantage. They used it in the second duel against Kaiba.

Yami knew it, too. "Kuriboh? That must mean…"

"That's right!" Yugi continued. "I have a Multiply card face down and I'm using it to make an endless army of Kuriboh!"

Once Yugi played that card, an infinite number of Kuriboh slowly began to appear on the field. For the first time since Yugi had met him, Yami began to panic.

"NO! Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, attack!"

Uncharacteristically, Yami lost his cool. The huge dragon attacked, but it was in vain. It didn't come close to destroying all the Kuriboh and the ones that were quickly replaced by new furry little monsters. Yami's turn was wasted and that would cost him dearly. Because then came the second phase of Yugi's attack.

"Now I attack with my own Mammoth Graveyard, a Polymerization card, and the Living Arrow!"

**Mammoth Graveyard 1200/800**

Kaiba recognized this, as well. "That's the same combination *I* was hit with last time!"

Mammoth Graveyard rushed towards the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and with the Polymerization card and Living Arrow card, it fused with the dragon. But the fusion was corrupted and the dragon slowly began to rot. And with the turn ended, the dragon began to lose Attack Points equal to Mammoth Graveyard's. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was down to 1600 Attack Points.

Yami was in disbelief. "VERY good move, Aibou!"

"I learned from the best," Yugi grinned.

Yami looked to be stumped. He had only one move to make. He laid a card face down.

Yugi played his next card. "And now I play the Feral Imp in Attack Mode!"

**Feral Imp 1300/1400**

The Feral Imp would soon be enough to destroy Yami's dragon. But Yami no longer looked panicked. It was one of his most admirable qualities. Even if things looked to be grim, he still believed in the heart of the cards, just like Yugi did. Yami played one more card face down and ended his turn, since he had no other options. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon went down to 400 Attack Points. That was Yugi's opening.

"Now, Feral Imp! Attack!"

The Feral Imp rushed past the defenses of the Kuriboh and demolished the deteriorated dragon. The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon was no more. Yami's life points went down to 100 and Yugi could feel victory within his grasp. And there was suddenly new life from Yugi's supporters.

**Yugi's LP 1400 || Yami's LP 100**

"Great move, Yugi!" Téa exclaimed.

"You're winning, buddy!" Joey added.

There was a brief stalemate on the field. For a moment, Yugi was getting confident. He started to believe that he was actually getting the better of his Yami. Maybe he truly DIDN'T need him around. Maybe Yugi had finally come into his own. Maybe the student had surpassed the master.

But Yami just chuckled…and that made Yugi very nervous.

"You've learned much from me, Yugi. You've matured as a proficient duelist in your own right and I am very proud of you. HOWEVER…you haven't won…and this duel will end NOW!" Yami drew one more card…and continued chuckling. "It ends…because I have drawn Reborn the Monster! And the card I bring back is the Dark Magician!"

**Dark Magician 2500/2100**

Yugi's Dark Magician had been brought back from the graveyard and now he was fighting on behalf of Yami. But Yami wasn't through with his turn.

"But the card that will finish you is the Book of Secret Arts card that I have laid face down, which increases the Dark Magician's attack points by 300, bringing his total attack points to 2800! Now, Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!!"

After coming out to destroy the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon, the Feral Imp no longer had the luxury of being protected by the army of Kuriboh. He was left wide open for the Dark Magician's attack and was demolished with one blow. And with the slight boost in his attack points, it was enough to bring Yugi's life points all the way down to zero.

Yugi had lost.

Kaiba shook his head. "Underwhelming. I thought you'd at least put up a better fight, Yugi."

"Shut up, Kaiba!" Joey snapped. "We brought you here to help us and you didn't help at all!"

"Like I could care less whether I help you or not," Kaiba sneered. "All that matters is that *I* have my rematch! Too bad I won't get to see Yami again after I beat him a second time." He examined the blond-haired Yami TK. "Although, I will admit that this will take some getting used to."

The duel was over and Yugi was in a state of shock. It was all on the line and he blew it. He put his heart into this duel and lost. He was devastated. This was his last chance to get his Yami back and he had failed miserably. Now he was destined to go the rest of his life without him.

Yami walked over to Yugi and offered a handshake. "Good game, Yugi. You played valiantly to the end. I have taught you well. I'm sorry it had to end this way."

Yugi sadly accepted. "I'm gonna miss you."

Yugi was too heartbroken to say goodbye. He just turned around, his head hanging down, and walked away with tears running down his face. The first one there to comfort him was Téa, who looked just as sad as he did.

There was no other reason to stay there. It was time for Yugi to head home without the Millennium Puzzle and without his friend. But just as he was walking out…

"WAIT!"

Yugi stopped and turned around. He saw Kari staring at Yami TK with a fire in her eyes.

"I'm tired of being a spectator to this whole thing! I'm taking matters into my own hands!"

  


Next Time: Yugi has failed in his bid to get Yami back. But Kari's about to step in and finally do something about all that's happened. What'll she do?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	7. The Final Game

Last time: Yugi and Yami faced each other an intense duel. While Yugi put up a good fight, he ultimately fell to a combination of Reborn the Monster, the Book of Secret Arts, and his own Dark Magician. But after beating Yugi, Yami was approached by Kari…who had finally had all she could take.

  


**Taking A New Host: Part 6**

  


There was a standoff between Yami and Kari. Usually, whenever Kari and TK stood so close to each other, it was always an amorous exchange, but this was far from a loving encounter. This wasn't TK she was standing by, it was Yami in TK's body. For Yugi, the shock of losing had taken a backseat to the scene unfolding before his eyes. While it looked like Yugi had lost Yami, Kari looked like she wanted to stick up for the poor soul who seemingly had no say in all this: her boyfriend, TK.

"You may have beaten Yugi, but this isn't over yet," Kari said. "I want one last chance to get my boyfriend back!"

"You aren't challenging me to a duel, are you?" Yami asked curiously.

Kari sweatdropped. "Uh…no…I think it's pretty obvious that if I challenged you, you'd wipe the floor with me." She shrugged the sweat off. "No, I've got something simpler in mind. We each draw one card and whoever draws the card with the highest attack points wins. If you win, then I'll learn to live with you and TK sharing one body. But if I win, Yugi gets the Millennium Puzzle back and you leave my boyfriend's body forever!"

Yami chuckled. "Kari, I've played this very game many times before. I've never lost. You have no chance of winning."

"I don't care!" Kari cried. "Considering what's on the line, I'm more than willing to take a chance. But if you're so sure of your victory, then I'll make it more worth your while. You said I reminded of you of your first wife, so…if you win…I'll let you spend one night alone with me."

Yugi's eyes widened. "WHAT?!"

"Somebody's feeling confident," Kaiba muttered to himself.

Yami looked to be in shock. "You're willing to risk that much? Very well. But let me assure you that, despite that one ugly incident, I am a perfect gentleman…as you shall soon see tonight. Aibou, we'll play with your deck."

Yugi took out his cards and shuffled the deck. Then he laid them on a tree stump nearby. Everyone stood seated on a bench, anxiously awaiting Kari and Yami to draw their card. Kari drew a card first and held it close to her chest so no one could see it.

Kari turned her card over. "Gaia the Fierce Knight."

Gaia had 2300 attack points. There were only two other cards in Yugi's deck that could top that. Yami slowly reached for a card. Kari closed her eyes.

"I can't bear to look," she said softly.

Everyone was on the edge of their seat, including Yugi and Joey, who had leaned a few inches closer to get a better view of the outcome. Yami pulled the card, but dropped it on the ground. The wind briefly turned it over a full revolution, giving Yugi and Joey a very brief glimpse of the card before it landed face down. And the news wasn't good.

The card was the Dark Magician.

Yugi moaned softly in despair. His last hope was gone. Yami picked the card up off the ground and held it to his chest, but Yugi knew what was coming. The Dark Magician would beat Gaia by 200 attack points. Yami had seemingly won again.

But suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle glowed brightly, blinding everybody for a few seconds. Once the light faded, Yami still held the card in his hand and to everyone's shock…Yami looked at the card and sighed, before turning it over to reveal…

"Kuriboh. Looks like I lost."

Yugi and Joey couldn't believe what they saw. Having seen that she won, Kari's face brightened. Tristan and Téa breathed a huge sigh of relief and Kaiba just remained indifferent.

"Yugi…you saw what I saw, didn't you?" Joey whispered.

"I saw it," Yugi whispered back.

"But…but…that's impossible."

Yugi disagreed. "That's the Heart of the Cards."

Yami turned to Yugi and smiled. "The Heart of the Cards was on your side today, Aibou. Looks like you and I shall be reunited." He turned to Kari and bowed respectfully. "And I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you. I hope you do not still think of me as an evil spirit."

"No, I don't think that," Kari sighed. "I just think you and Yugi know how to take a fight too far."

Kaiba chuckled. "And to think, it all started over me."

"We made a mistake, Kaiba," Yami said fiercely. "Yugi and I let the second duel with you create a rift between us. But if anything, this whole experience will bring us closer together and we will never let anything divide us again! And you'll see it firsthand when we have our third match!"

Kaiba took his dueling disks and slowly started walking out. "I'm sure I will. But it won't be enough, because I'm still the better duelist. Farewell for now, Yami. We shall have our duel as stipulated, but it won't be right now. We'll duel when I'm good and ready and you and Yugi had better prepare yourselves, because when the time does come, I will crush you and prove once and for all just who the world's best duelist is!"

"Yeah, keep walking, Kaiba," Joey mocked. "You don't want any part of Yami and Yugi now that they're back together." Then he thought of something. "Hey, Yuge? So does this mean TK has to take the Millennium Puzzle apart?"

"Yes it does, Joey," Yugi answered. "And once he does, I'll have to put it back together again."

"Didn't you tell me that it took you eight years to put that thing together?" Joey pointed out.

Yugi did a facefault. "You're right! How am I supposed to put it back together?!"

Kari put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Leave that to us."

* * *

Yugi couldn't believe how fast things were going. Eight years worth of work were going by very quickly. He continued to put each piece of the Millennium Puzzle together with hardly any trouble at all. Of course, he wasn't alone.

"And…this piece goes here," TK said.

"Can I ask you something TK?" Yugi asked as he put another piece together.

"Sure, Yugi. What is it?"

"How is it that it took me eight years to put the Millennium Puzzle together and it only took you one night? How did you do it?"

"I don't know what to tell you on that one," TK replied. "Honestly, it was as if I knew just where every piece went."

Yugi eyed TK curiously. "Are you sure you don't have a Millennium item, yourself?"

"Uh…no…I just have a Digimon."

"A what?"

A little pig with wings came out from underneath the table. "Digimon! D-I-G-I-M-O-N! I didn't hear him stutter."

Yugi examined the strange little thing. "A Digimon? I've never seen anything like this before."

"Not many people do," TK said. "We've had Digimon invasions that people would rather forget."

"Aren't you even going to bother to introduce me?" the pig huffed.

"Oh, sorry. This is Patamon, my partner."

Yugi couldn't take his eye off Patamon and snickered. "It looks like something I'd see in Téa's deck."

"I heard that, Yugi!" Téa shouted from outside.

For the next couple of hours, TK and Patamon coached Yugi through the construction of the Millennium Puzzle. The task turned out to be so much easier…eerily easier than the first time around.

Finally, there was one more piece to put together. Yugi put the final piece together…and the construction of the Millennium Puzzle was once again complete. Yugi breathed a sigh of relief and a chuckle of joy. He eagerly put it around his neck. The feeling of the ancient pyramid hanging over his neck was a feeling Yugi had sorely missed.

Yugi had a bad feeling that the Puzzle wouldn't work like it did before, but those anxieties quickly went away when the Puzzle began to react.

**_YU-GI-OH!!_**

Just like in the old days, the Millennium Puzzle reacted and emitted its light. When the light faded, there only remained the figure of Yami Yugi, just like in days past.

TK marveled at this sight. "Wow! So this is the real you!"

After about a minute of maintaining his confident pose, Yami extended the hand of friendship towards TK.

"Before anything, I would like to apologize to you, TK. I overstepped my bounds and made a mess of your daily life. For that, I'm sorry."

TK accepted the handshake. "It's not like my life's so normal, anyway. Just promise me that you and Yugi will never fight like that again."

"You have my word."

After the handshake was broken, Kari walked back into the apartment. "Is it o…whoa!"

Kari was also amazed at the sudden appearance of the real Yami. Indeed, his self-confident exterior contrasted from that of the innocent Yugi.

"So that's the real you?" Kari asked. "You almost look cute…for someone who tried to take over my boyfriend's body."

Yami sighed deeply. "I deserve that. I never meant to frighten you, Kari. But believe me, this will never happen again. Please accept my deepest apologies. If there's anything I can do to amend for my actions, please…don't hesitate to let me know."

Kari smirked. "There is ONE thing that'll make me feel better."

"What's that?" Yami asked curiously.

Kari answered Yami's question…by slapping the taste out of his mouth.

Yami rubbed his cheek and chuckled. "I guess I had that coming. Well, my friends…with that, I believe my time has come to depart. I bid you farewell."

TK smiled. "Be sure to stop and visit."

"Of course, if you don't want to, I won't hold it against you," Kari added with a grin.

Yami took a bow and stepped out of the apartment. He found his friends waiting for him outside. And they looked happy to see their old friend again.

"I know that look," Joey grinned. "You're back, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am, Joey. And now…we can go home."

* * *

For TK, this was the best feeling in the world. His body and mind were finally his own again. He didn't have to share anymore. And the strange Yami was finally out of his life.

"I hope I never have to go through that again," TK sighed. "But you've got to admit, Kari, he turned out to be ok in the end."

"I still sense something dark about him," Kari muttered.

"Like evil?"

"Well…at first I thought it was…but now it feels different. It's more like a feeling of…angst and uncertainty. Like he's searching for something."

"Weird. I hope he finds what he's looking for. But in the meantime…"

TK leaned over and gave Kari a peck on the lips.

"…I'm happy with what I have."

Kari couldn't help but blush…and be happy this whole ordeal was over…

…just like TK was.

* * *

The bus ride home was an awfully long one, but there was one thing still bothering Yugi. It was the outcome of this whole thing. And he decided to address this with his Yami.

_/ Yami? Can we talk? /_

// I had a feeling you might have some questions, Aibou. What's troubling you? //

/ It's about that game you played with Kari. Yami…I distinctly saw the Dark Magician go flying to the ground. How is it that when you picked it up…it revealed Kuriboh? /

// Yugi, you should know better than anybody about the Heart of the Cards. It shouldn't surprise you that destiny brought us together again. //

/ But…Kari doesn't know about the Heart of the Cards. So if that didn't happen because of her…it must have happened…HEY! It was you! Yami…you rigged that game! You lost on purpose! /

Yami chuckled. _// You know me very well. //_

/ But why? /

// The answer's simple. I never seriously intended to stay behind with TK. This whole ordeal was meant to teach you a valuable lesson. You need me, Yugi…as much as I need you. //

/ As much as you need me? /

// Aibou…I could have stayed behind with TK, but the fact is…I still need you. Most of my memories are still hidden from me. And I cannot recover them within TK. I need to recover them within you. I need YOUR help. //

It was all starting to make sense to Yugi now. Yami was indeed a mighty being and had a lot going for him. But he was still missing something. And Yugi didn't forget the vow he made to his friend. He promised to help him find his lost memories.

_/ I will help you, Yami. After all…that's what friends are for. /_

Yugi Moto and Yami, the ancient spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, were friends. And they would stick together through thick and thin.

And the search for Yami's memories would continue once the bus reached Domino City.

  


**THE END**

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


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